This invention relates to bath fixtures and more particularly to a combination soap holder and utility shelf designed to permit drainage and to provide a convenient means of storing, protecting and retrieving soap and other bath articles.
Bathing facilities are generally equipped with a ceramic, metal or plastic soap-holding fixture affixed to or recessed into the bath enclosure comprising a tray for holding a bar of soap and a U-shaped support commonly referred to as a grab bar. The soap holder typically collects and retains water spray or splash which causes the soap to soften and to become difficult or undesirable to use. Additionally, the front edge of the soap holder routinely includes a lip which makes the soap awkward to grasp and retrieve when wet. The U-shaped support is intended to be used as an emergency handhold or to suspend a washcloth, but, in practice is sometimes used to support supplementary bath articles such as shampoo, razors and sponges. Bath accessories are also oftentimes stored in other dangerous, inconvenient and unsightly locations such as the floor of the shower or edges of the bathtub.
A number of prior art devices have been developed to protect and conserve soap from the softening effects of standing water. Miller U.S. Pat. No. 1,536,906, issued May 5, 1925, untitled, discloses a recessed soap dish comprising a plurality of coplanar ribs to support a bar of soap and formed with a gutter to allow water to drain back into the sink. However, the '906 patented device has a lip and side and back walls which make it difficult to easily grasp and retrieve a wet bar of soap. Additionally, the effectiveness of the Miller soap dish to drain excess water and soap residue is limited when soap residue collects between the ribs, the floor of the soap dish and the bottom surface of the soap. Further, the soap dish described by the '906 patent is designed for use with a sink or sink back and is not intended for use with a conventional bathtub, shower, or bathtub-shower enclosure.
Dworkin U.S. Pat. No. 4,300,248, issued Nov. 17, 1981, entitled SNAP-IN SOAP DISH LINER FOR BATHROOM FIXTURES, discloses a soap dish liner designed to snap into a bathroom fixture. The liner includes means for draining excess water away from the soap into the soap holder. However, the patented device allows water and soap residue to collect in the soap dish and must be disengaged to be cleaned. Additionally, because the liner extends beyond the side walls and ceiling of the soap dish, it is difficult to grasp and retrieve a wet bar of soap.
Mancusi, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,621,730, issued Nov. 11, 1986, entitled AERATED SOAPHOLDER, discloses a soap holder comprising a pair of soap-supporting ribs projecting forward from the back wall and upwards from the floor. The side walls and floor of the soap holder flare away from the back wall at angles greater than 90 degrees. Further, the soap-contacting surfaces of the ribs protruding from the floor are sloped upward away from the back wall. However, because the '730 patented device utilizes only a single pair of supporting ribs, it cannot adequately support a bar of soap of atypical size and shape. In addition, because the soap is intended to rest against the supporting ribs along the back wall of the soap holder in close proximity to the side walls, it is difficult to grasp and retrieve a wet bar of soap.
Prior art devices have likewise been developed to store and protect additional bath articles such as shampoo, razors and sponges. Ripps U.S. Pat. No. 3,233,744, issued Feb. 8, 1966, entitled UTILITY SHELF, discloses a shelf to be mounted on a conventional bathroom soap holder for holding bath accessories. The shelf rests on the U-shaped support of the soap holder on legs which extend downward from the base. The shelf is restrained from pivoting around the U-shaped support by a tongue extending under the ceiling of the soap holder and by contact with the vertical face of the wall on which the soap holder is mounted. However, the utility shelf described in the '744 patent must be custom-fitted to match each bath fixture design and, as disclosed, requires the bath fixture to include a U-shaped grab bar. Further, although at least one embodiment of the patented device includes a means for draining excess water from the shelf, the drainage unavoidably collects in the soap holder. Most importantly, the '744 utility shelf entirely obstructs the U-shaped grab bar so that it is unavailable for emergency use.
Muderlak U.S Pat. No. Des. 286,237, issued Oct. 21, 1986, entitled COMBINED ACCESSORY HOLDER AND GRAB BAR UNIT FOR A TUB AND SHOWER, discloses a combination utility shelf, soap holder and grab bar bath fixture. However, the '237 accessory holder and grab bar unit does not provide drainage for the soap and bath articles, does not facilitate easy retrieval of a wet bar of soap and is difficult to clean.